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Healthy kitchen investments

Few things are livelier than the festival season, but these special times of the year are also the biggest impediment to your healthy lifestyle. As sweets get replaced by more sweets, and hectic socialising becomes the norm, your diet goes for a toss. Well, there's always the rest of the year. And for the rest of the year, may I include a list of things you may want to invest in so that you can have a happy, healthy holiday season.

Air Fryers What's better than having your cake and eating it too? Well, the answer to that is fries, pakodas, fried chicken; all better than having cake sometimes. When your cravings hit a spot no amount of baked, broiled, poached or grilled can satisfy, then air fry. These nifty gadgets use a minimal amount of oil and a great deal of heat to create special cooking conditions that replicate the satisfying crunch of deep-fried food. While results differ from appliance to appliance, it cannot be denied that these provide a tasty and nutritious alternative to the conventional ways of getting it done.

Steamers We all know that steam removes the need for cooking in oil or fat, which gives us lighter and healthier meals, while retaining both flavour and nutritional value. But did you know that if you are cooking meat, for example, steaming removes the fat from the meat whereas conventional cooking methods cook the fat into the meat? So it's not just idlis and dhoklas that steaming can help you with, but a variety of foods that you never thought could be cooked this way. Or taste this way.

Non-Stick Cookware While this may seem like a no-brainer because most people at least have one non-stick pan, this still makes the list because most of us don't replace our cookware in time — wear and tear scrapes off the coating — or invest in good, solid pieces that genuinely do obviate the need for oil usage. If you are using too much oil while cooking in your new non-stick, you probably haven't invested right.

Cookbooks and Apps How much does it cost to download an app that counts the number of steps you take? Or a food diary that helps you record your food intake? Or one that helps you find substitutes for high-fat recipes? What you would pay for a cup of latte, could also help you lose weight. Buy cookbooks. There are delicious solutions everywhere. You just need to 'bite' into them. Also, these investments are not just about weight loss, but also about expanding your culinary repertoire and your relationship with food as a whole.